On 11 September 2025, Albania took a decision that left the world stunned. Defying conventional political wisdom, the Albanian government appointed an Artificial Intelligence system named Diell as the country’s Public Procurement Minister. In an unprecedented move, this digital administrator identified 17 suspicious government contracts within just 48 hours, annulled three of them, and made all procurement data publicly available in real time through an interactive dashboard. This was not a science fiction scenario, nor an isolated experiment — it was a powerful demonstration of how AI could redefine governance, transparency, and public accountability.

While Albania is a small nation with limited resources, its bold experiment holds a significant lesson for India — one of the world’s largest democracies facing enormous governance challenges. With a population of 1.4 billion and a sprawling bureaucracy often criticised for inefficiency, delays, and corruption, India stands at a crossroads. The need for bold, systemic reform in public administration has never been greater. Albania’s decision shines a spotlight on the potential of Artificial Intelligence not as a futuristic luxury but as a pragmatic tool that can transform how governments function.

Across the globe, governments are increasingly harnessing AI to improve governance. Singapore’s chatbot Ask Jamie handles over five million public enquiries annually across more than 70 government websites, drastically reducing response time and human workload. Estonia, already a digital governance pioneer, uses AI-driven platforms for digital identity cards, e-medical records, and e-voting systems, enabling efficient, secure, and accessible services for all citizens. Canada has integrated AI into tax audits, helping authorities recover billions of........

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